Compact aerial mission modular material handling system

ABSTRACT

According to at least one exemplary embodiment, a method, system and apparatus for an aircraft may be shown and described. An exemplary embodiment may be an autonomous aircraft which can vertically takeoff and land (VTOL). The VTOL aircraft may have a modular pod which carries a removable payload. The entire VTOL aircraft may be portable. An exemplary embodiment may fit into a standard sized freight container. A propulsion system may be based on distributed electric propulsion. An exemplary embodiment may implement variable pitch propellers and collective pitch variation.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Application No. 17/546,370,filed on Dec. 9, 2021, which claims priority from U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 63/123,056, filed on Dec. 9, 2020, the entire contentsof each of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

Exemplary embodiments relate to the field of air travel, namely,vertical takeoff and landing vehicles.

BACKGROUND

Many vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicles use separatepropulsors for each vertical and forward motion with rotor/propellerblades optimized for their unique airspeed and thrust requirements. Thisapproach simplifies vehicle control but adds parasitic weight in theform of redundant systems. Thus, stable hovering is achieved by varyingonly the speed of the propulsors, and changes in rotational speed taketime and limit controllability. To transition to forward flight, asecond propulsive system is activated, and those propulsors used invertical flight are deactivated. In both flight segments, an unusedpropulsion system is carried by the vehicle and thus the overallefficiency is decreased.

Conversely, the use of one or more fixed pitch propulsors for bothvertical and forward flight has a significant negative effect onpropulsive efficiency; a blade optimized for vertical hovering cannot beused efficiently in high-speed forward flight.

Regarding cargo operations via aircraft, payload has historically beencarried within an open bay in the fuselage of the aircraft. Thisapproach requires loading and unloading to take place with the vehiclesitting, out of use. The process is very sensitive to the relativeweight and location of the cargo with respect to the vehicle center ofgravity. Furthermore, even vehicles with separate cargo pods do notprovide significant adjustment for the vehicle sensitivity to center ofgravity of the payload. Such vehicles allow just a single podshape/volume for each vehicle airframe and a fixed or limited adjustmentto location of the cargo pod with respect to the airframe.

The main source of downtime for electric air vehicles of any kind isrecharging of the battery. This process can take several hours and faroutweighs the time spent packing or unpacking a vehicle.

Conventional aircraft occupy a large footprint on the ground and aretherefore challenging and expensive to store and to transport. Navalaircraft intended for use on aircraft carriers typically address thisissue with folding wing features, but those systems are typically a veryheavy addition onto an existing airframe where it serves no otherpurpose than to minimize footprint.

Karem Aircraft, Inc. has several patents in related areas. The relevantart may be an eVTOL, tiltrotor or tilt-wing vehicle that uses amechanism that allows for the pitch of each blade to be controlledindependently, rather than collectively. Bell Helicopter/Textron, Inc,also have several patents in related areas. The relevant art maydescribe an APT vehicle which may implement thrust vectoring by varyingRPM. Elroy Air may have an unmanned cargo delivery aircraft thatimplements the redundant vertical/horizontal distributed electricpropulsion systems described above. Joby Aero, Inc. is another primarycontender in the eVTOL space, and their rotor blade pitch is adjusted inresponse to cone angle of the blades to allow the blades to foldbackward against the nacelle for minimum drag when the propulsor is notin use.

SUMMARY

According to at least one exemplary embodiment, a method, system, andapparatus for an aircraft may be shown and described. An exemplaryembodiment may be an autonomous electric, hydrogen-electric, and/orhybrid-electric aircraft which can vertically takeoff and land (VTOL).The VTOL aircraft may have a modular pod which carries a removablepayload. The entire VTOL aircraft may be portable. An exemplaryembodiment may fit into a standard sized freight container with limitedto no break-down. A propulsion system may be based on distributedelectric propulsion. An exemplary embodiment may implement variablepitch propellers and collective pitch variation.

Variable pitch propellers may be capable of hovering as well ashigh-speed forward flight. An exemplary embodiment may use the samemotors for both hovering and cruising, thus eliminating the need foradditional motors or systems, reducing vehicle weight, and increasingefficiency. In forward flight, an exemplary propeller pitch and rotationrate may be set to provide peak efficiency for a required amount ofthrust. Hovering figures of merit, or efficiency, may increase as diskloading decreases. Large-diameter rotors may have high moments ofinertia and thus may be slower when changing speed in response to motortorque. Variable pitch actuation may allow the propeller system tochange the thrust and torque of a propeller with less delay, thusimproving controllability, which may allow an aircraft to fly in anunstable configuration or with reduced stability. For example, the useof more efficient vehicle layouts, such as a tailless configurationwhich may be too unstable to implement in other systems, may beimplemented in an exemplary embodiment.

Collective pitch control in combination with variable speed can offerunique advantages in the control and efficiency of a VTOL aircraft. Theuse of collective pitch control maximizes the efficiency of both hoverand forward flight and provides a more responsive control for thrustvectoring than varying RPM alone. This added control responsiveness mayallow for further reduction in drag and improvement in efficiency by theelimination of the traditional tail and control surfaces normally usedto achieve stable flight.

An exemplary embodiment may include a removable pod. The pod may be usedfor specific missions, such as for handling cargo, medevac, and otherlogistical needs. The pod may be mechanically and electrically attachedto an exemplary air vehicle. In an exemplary embodiment, the pod may beattached to the bottom of the vehicle, at the base of a pylon whichinterfaces with the aircraft. The connection to the pylon may allow forflexibility in payload size and shape.

In an exemplary embodiment, energy storage, for example batteries and/ora range-extending hybrid power system may be built into the removeablemission modular payload pods so that an exemplary system includes oneairframe and multiple pods that can provide mission specificconfigurations and greater adjustment of the weight relative to thecenter of gravity. With this exemplary embodiment, total downtime may beminimized and the potential mission throughput over any given time maybe maximized. Additionally, the mission modular pod may be attached to apylon beneath the fuselage in a way that allows for adjustment forwardor aft with respect to the airframe. This adjustability allows even lesstime to be taken in loading and unloading the pods and a greaterflexibility to the size and shape of payloads which can be accommodated.Attachment at the pylon may also interface with a variety of pod sizesand shapes.

The pylon may include motors for translating the payload in the fore oraft direction with respect to the vehicle. By moving the payload, anexemplary embodiment may efficiently handle a wide range of payloadshapes and sizes. A differently-shaped payload may have a differentcenter of gravity, and the pylon may position the payload such that thecenter of gravity is in an optimal position. While a payload on atypical aircraft may require the person loading or unloading it tocalculate and consider weight distribution in order to ensure thevehicle is balanced, an exemplary embodiment may instead adjust thepayload using the pylon to position the center of gravity.

In another exemplary embodiment, the payload may contain energy storagefor the air vehicle. The energy storage pod may be electricallyconnected to the aircraft. One pod may be loaded and charged whileanother pod is delivered, thus minimizing the operational downtimebetween flights by minimizing recharge time. Distributed electricpropulsion may be implemented. The systems may be controlled by anautonomous system with autopilot technology.

Typical aircraft may require a large footprint to carry a large payload.This may be due to the propulsion layout and stability characteristicsdeveloped around limitations of internal combustion engines and humanpilots. The footprint may refer to the size and shape of the aircraftwhen on the ground. Exemplary embodiment may be deployed in areas whereavailable ground space is limited, such as, for example, denselypopulated metropolitan areas. By excluding or limiting a tail area, anexemplary embodiment may also be easier to load and unload. Typicalaircraft require large tail/empennage surfaces in order to stabilize thevehicle. An exemplary embodiment may instead stabilize the load viathrust vector controls. An autonomous system may stabilize the vehicleand balance the load.

Further, an exemplary embodiment may be stored in a compact area, suchas on a military base or ship. Landing gear may be integrated into themotor pylons, which may be rotated to the landing configuration throughthe tilt rotor and/or tilt wing functions. While in the landed position,an exemplary embodiment may support the loading or unloading of apayload from the front or aft side of the vehicle. Loading and unloadingmay be accomplished by personnel or by unmanned ground vehicles. Thesingle wing tilt vehicle layout may eliminate any obstructions to thecargo bay, thus facilitating loading and unloading of the payload.

An exemplary embodiment may implement a tilting wing to enable verticaltakeoff and landing and horizontal flight. The wing may incorporatelanding gear. With limited or no tail or control surfaces, the footprintand overall height may be minimized. Thus, an exemplary embodiment mayfit comfortably into a 20 ft ISO container, whereas comparable vehiclesmay be significantly larger and thus may be too large to fit into an ISOcontainer and/or may require significant disassembly based on overallvehicle size.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Advantages of embodiments of the present invention will be apparent fromthe following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments thereof,which description should be considered in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings in which like numerals indicate like elements, inwhich:

FIG. 1A shows an exemplary embodiment of an aircraft.

FIG. 1B shows another exemplary embodiment of an aircraft.

FIG. 2 shows another exemplary embodiment of an aircraft withaerodynamic stabilizing surfaces functioning as integrated landing gear.

FIG. 3A is a top view of an exemplary embodiment of an aircraft.

FIG. 3B shows the aircraft of FIG. 3A with an exemplary wing structurein a horizontal flying position.

FIG. 3C shows the aircraft of FIG. 3A with an exemplary wing structurein a vertical flying position.

FIG. 4A is a side view of the aircraft of FIG. 3B.

FIG. 4B is a front view of the aircraft of FIG. 3B.

FIG. 5 shows another exemplary embodiment of an aircraft in the verticaltakeoff and landing position.

FIG. 6 shows an exemplary embodiment of an aircraft with an alternatewing configuration.

FIG. 7 shows an exemplary takeoff procedure.

FIG. 8 shows an exemplary pod attachment procedure.

FIG. 9 shows an exemplary embodiment of an aircraft in the parkingposition which fits into a standard 20-foot ISO container.

FIG. 10 shows another exemplary embodiment of an aircraft in the parkingposition which fits into a standard 20-foot ISO container.

FIG. 11 shows another exemplary embodiment of an aircraft in thevertical takeoff and landing position.

FIG. 12 shows the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 11 in the horizontalflight position.

FIG. 13 shows an exemplary embodiment of an aircraft with groups ofnacelles separately movable from one another.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects of the invention are disclosed in the following description andrelated drawings directed to specific embodiments of the invention.Alternate embodiments may be devised without departing from the spiritor the scope of the invention. Additionally, well-known elements ofexemplary embodiments of the invention will not be described in detailor will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of theinvention. Further, to facilitate an understanding of the descriptiondiscussion of several terms used herein follows.

As used herein, the word “exemplary” means “serving as an example,instance or illustration.” The embodiments described herein are notlimiting, but rather are exemplary only. It should be understood thatthe described embodiments are not necessarily to be construed aspreferred or advantageous over other embodiments. Moreover, the terms“embodiments of the invention”, “embodiments” or “invention” do notrequire that all embodiments of the invention include the discussedfeature, advantage or mode of operation.

Further, many of the embodiments described herein are described in termsof sequences of actions to be performed by, for example, elements of acomputing device. It should be recognized by those skilled in the artthat the various sequences of actions described herein can be performedby specific circuits (e.g. application specific integrated circuits(ASICs)) and/or by program instructions executed by at least oneprocessor. Additionally, the sequence of actions described herein can beembodied entirely within any form of computer-readable storage mediumsuch that execution of the sequence of actions enables the at least oneprocessor to perform the functionality described herein. Furthermore,the sequence of actions described herein can be embodied in acombination of hardware and software. Thus, the various aspects of thepresent invention may be embodied in a number of different forms, all ofwhich have been contemplated to be within the scope of the claimedsubject matter. In addition, for each of the embodiments describedherein, the corresponding form of any such embodiment may be describedherein as, for example, “a computer configured to” perform the describedaction.

An exemplary embodiment may provide an aerial vehicle capable ofvertical takeoffs and landings. An exemplary embodiment may implement amulti-copter configuration for takeoff and landing and may transition toa wing-borne cruise mode. One exemplary embodiment may implement atiltrotor/tiltwing, however other configurations may be contemplated. Tomaintain control throughout the flight the collective pitch of thepropellers may be varied to control motion about the three axes ofrotation. Collective pitch actuation may serve the same purpose asvarying propeller rotational speed in a conventional multi-copter. Thevariable pitch control could be augmented by varying propellerrotational speed in some cases. A flight controller may be incorporatedthat monitors the vehicles state and controls the pitch angle of eachpropeller individually in order to stabilize an exemplary vehicle. In anexemplary embodiment, the flight controller may control the rotationalspeed of each rotor or connected group of rotors. By using amulti-copter like control scheme in all phases of flight, an exemplaryembodiment may operate without, or with limited need for, traditionalcontrol surfaces, thus reducing the drag associated with control surfacegaps, hinges, and deflection.

An exemplary embodiment may incorporate an optionally removeable missionmodular pod. The pod may be mechanically and electrically attached tothe bottom of the air vehicle at the base of a pylon. The pylon mayinclude a standard interface that permits a variety of pod designs forcargo carrying or any other payload type including, medevac,Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR) or weaponized payloads.The flexibility in payloads may be supplemented by a rail or othertransport/adjustment system built into the pylon and/or the pod that mayallow translation of the payload in the fore/aft direction with respectto the air vehicle. This adjustment of the payload location may bemanual, or may be autonomously performed by the air vehicle to set itsown center of gravity within calculated bounds. The adjustment may bemade on the ground prior to takeoff and can enhance control authorityand stability in both hover and horizontal flight modes. Thistranslation of the pod may also permit greater flexibility in theloading and unloading of cargo, where a broader arrangement of cargoweights, volumes, or sizes can be accommodated.

In an exemplary embodiment, energy storage may be built into theremoveable mission modular pods so that an exemplary system includes oneair vehicle and a plurality of pods. While the vehicle delivers one pod,the next may be recharged, refueled, or replenished and loaded with anew payload for each mission. Upon its return, the pod being delivered(with expended energy storage) may be removed and a recharged, refueled,or replenished pod may be installed for the next mission. With thisapproach, total downtime may be minimized (since the aircraft does notneed to be recharged, refueled, or replenished) and the potentialpayload throughput over any given time may be maximized. In anotherexemplary embodiment, the pod may include batteries which rechargebatteries within the aircraft.

An exemplary embodiment may achieve a compact form or footprint byeliminating tail and empennage surfaces. Typical aircraft require tailand empennage surfaces for in-flight stability. However, an exemplaryembodiment may support the payload underneath via the autonomouslybalanced pod and pylon system and may implement thrust vectoring usingdistributed electric propulsion and autopilot, and therefore may notrequire stabilizing surfaces.

Landing gear may be integrated into the motor pylons. Motor pylons mayrotate into the landing configuration during landing and for storage.The rotation may be accomplished via the same mechanisms that allow fora tilt rotor or tilt wing configuration. For example, the landing gearmay be positioned for landing when the rotors and/or wings arepositioned for takeoff and/or landing (i.e., in a vertical position). Itmay be contemplated that the landing gear is sufficiently spaced outsuch that ground stability during loading and unloading of cargo isenhanced. Spaced out landing gear may also facilitate the verticaltakeoff and landing maneuvers.

While in the landed position, an exemplary embodiment may be loaded orunloaded from multiple angles. An automated system may be used to loadand unload the cargo. Alternatively, personnel may load and unload thecargo onto the aircraft. The single wing-tilt vehicle layout may allowthe vehicle to be loaded or unloaded from multiple angles by reducingpotential obstructions that are found in typical aircraft layouts.

An exemplary embodiment may implement distributed electric propulsion byusing both RPM control and collective pitch control. RPM control refersto the adjustment of rotation speed of each rotor individually. Motorspeed controllers may adjust the RPM of the motors attached to eachrotor. In an exemplary embodiment, an autonomous system or control unitmay control the motor speed controllers to adjust the RPM.

Electric motors may be used for both vertical and horizontal flight,thus reducing the total number of actuators or traction motors required.Collective pitch variation may increase efficiency in both horizontaland vertical flight configurations. Variable pitch control allows formore responsive control than RPM control alone.

Collective pitch control, as contrasted with cyclic pitch control mayrefer to altering the angle of all the blades in a rotor. An exemplaryembodiment may implement high-speed actuation in pitch of all blades tocontrol the thrust of each individual rotor. This is contrasted withconventional variable pitch propellers on airplanes that actuaterelatively slowly. Variable pitch may refer to a propeller changing thepitch angle of the blades. Variable pitch may improve thrust, improveefficiency, or prevent windmilling (a form of modifying the thrust).Collective pitch and variable pitch may require hardware. In anexemplary embodiment, hardware allows the autonomous system to controlthe aircraft.

In an exemplary embodiment, the high-speed actuation system mayimplement one or more actuators per rotor. An exemplary actuator may bea closed loop electric actuator for positional control of the pitch ofthe propeller, however any other compatible actuator may be implemented.The actuator may be a linear or rotary actuator, or any othercontemplated type. The actuator may be connected to a mechanical systemwhich may include, for example, linear or rotary linages and gears.

The pitch of one or more propellers may be simultaneously altered inorder to adjust the thrust vector of each rotor independently. In anexemplary embodiment, one or more sensors may provide feedback to theactuator. For example, an encoder can provide closed loop feedback tothe actuator’s position and may correlate the blade’s angle ofincidence. Other sensors may measure, for example, speed, altitude,heading, and/or acceleration. The sensors may provide flight data to theautopilot system which may evaluate the adjustments needed to achievethe desired flight maneuver.

FIG. 1A shows an exemplary embodiment of an aircraft. The aircraft 100may include nacelles 102. The nacelles may house motors for spinning therotors 104. The rotors may be mounted at the end of the nacelles 102. Itmay be contemplated that any number of nacelles 102 and rotors 104 maybe implemented; the example in FIG. 1A shows the implementation of fournacelles 102 and four rotors 104 for illustrative purposes. The aircraft100 in FIG. 1A may be in the horizontal flight position, as shown by thefront facing rotors 104 and wings 106. A portion of the wings 106 mayrotate to face the rotors 104 up or vertically in order to allow for avertical takeoff or landing. In an alternate exemplary embodiment, thenacelles 102 may rotate separately for a vertical takeoff or landing.The nacelles in this embodiment may act as landing gear in the landingposition. In some embodiments, as sown, for example, in FIG. 13 , thenacelles on each side (e.g., the upper and lower nacelles on each side)may be grouped and/or linked together for the rotation, with theright-side and left-side groups nacelles being able to move separatelyfrom one another.

The exemplary embodiment in FIG. 1A may be carrying a pod 112. The pod112 may be mounted to pylon 110 on the underside of the fuselage 108.The fuselage may house, for example, a control unit, batteries, andother supporting components. The pod may house additional batteriesand/or cargo. The pod 112 may be connected to the fuselage 108 via pylon110 such that the batteries in the pod 112 can charge or replace theaircraft’s batteries.

FIG. 1B may illustrate an exemplary embodiment of an aircraft withaerodynamic stabilizing surfaces that function as integrated landinggear 120. The landing gear 120 may be at the rear end of the nacelles102 or may be connected to the wings 106. In either case, during landingprocedures the nacelles and/or the wings may rotate, thus positioningthe landing gear 120 to contact the landing surface.

Referring now to FIG. 2 , FIG. 2 shows another exemplary embodiment ofan aircraft. The aircraft in FIG. 2 may be in the horizontal flightposition. The exemplary embodiment in FIG. 2 may include landing gear120 at the rear of the nacelles 102. When the nacelles 102 are rotatedfor vertical takeoff and landing, the landing gear will also be rotatedsuch that it may contact the landing surface.

FIGS. 3-4 show views of an alternate embodiment of an aircraft, having awing and engine configuration similar to the embodiment of FIG. 2 , butwith an alternate landing gear configuration. FIGS. 3A-3B and 4A-4B showthe aircraft with the wing structure in the horizontal flying position,while FIG. 3C shows the aircraft with the wing structure in the verticaltakeoff and landing position. In the embodiment of FIGS. 3-4 , theaircraft may not include a pylon but may still include the electricaland mechanical connections that enable the benefits of the pylon withregards to energy storage and center of gravity adjustment.

FIG. 5 shows another exemplary embodiment of an aircraft, in thevertical takeoff and landing position. Landing gear 200 may be disposedin between the nacelles on each wing of the aircraft. In the exemplaryembodiment of FIG. 5 , the wings may also rotate with the nacelles. Byrotating the wings, air resistance is lowered during vertical takeoffand landing, thus facilitating takeoff.

FIG. 6 shows another exemplary embodiment of an aircraft, with analternate wing configuration. The embodiment of FIG. 7 may includelanding gear which is fixed to the rear end of the innermost nacelles.The pylon 110 may connect the pod 112 to the fuselage 108.

FIG. 7 shows an exemplary takeoff procedure. The aircraft may begin inthe first position 900, where the landing gear is on the ground and thenacelles and rotors are vertically pointed upwards. Next, the motors mayoperate, and the thrust of the spinning rotors may lift the aircraftinto a hovering position, where the aircraft is hovering off the ground.At this point, the nacelle/wing mechanism may rotate 910 such that thenacelles are horizontally oriented for flight 910. Finally, aircraft 920may be in the horizontal flight configuration.

FIG. 8 shows an exemplary pod attachment procedure. The pod may belifted up and attached to the pylon. Alternatively, it may becontemplated that the pylon or a mechanical device attached to the pylonis extended down to interface with and attach to the pod.

FIG. 9 shows an exemplary embodiment of an aircraft in the parkingposition which fits into a standard 20-foot ISO container.

FIG. 10 shows an alternate exemplary embodiment of an aircraft in theparking position which fits into a standard 20-foot ISO container.

FIG. 11 may illustrate an alternate embodiment of an aircraft, in thevertical takeoff and landing position. The embodiment of FIG. 11 mayimplement a tilt-wing configuration where both the wings and rotors tiltor rotate. FIG. 12 may illustrate the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 11 inthe horizontal flight position.

The foregoing description and accompanying figures illustrate theprinciples, preferred embodiments and modes of operation of theinvention. However, the invention should not be construed as beinglimited to the particular embodiments discussed above. Additionalvariations of the embodiments discussed above will be appreciated bythose skilled in the art (for example, features associated with certainconfigurations of the invention may instead be associated with any otherconfigurations of the invention, as desired).

Therefore, the above-described embodiments should be regarded asillustrative rather than restrictive. Accordingly, it should beappreciated that variations to those embodiments can be made by thoseskilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention asdefined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraftcomprising: a plurality of wings, each wing having at least a portionconfigured to rotate into a vertical position for takeoff and landingand rotate into a horizontal position for flight; a plurality ofnacelles, each nacelle being coupled to a wing of the plurality ofwings; a plurality of rotors, each rotor being coupled to acorresponding nacelle, the corresponding nacelle housing at least onemotor configured to rotate the rotor; a flight controller configured tocontrol the plurality of rotors, and a mission modular pod removablycoupled to the VTOL aircraft; wherein an interface between the missionmodular pod and the VTOL aircraft is adjustably configured to balance apayload in the mission modular pod and wherein a location of the payloadis adjusted autonomously prior to takeoff to set a center of gravitywithin predefined bounds for enhancing control authority and stabilityin both hover and horizontal flight modes.
 2. The VTOL aircraft of claim1, wherein the flight controller is configured to perform collectivepitch control of the plurality of rotors, wherein the collective pitchcontrol performs alteration of angles of all blades in each respectiverotor, wherein the flight controller is further configured to performthe collective pitch control to produce thrust vectoring that stabilizesthe payload.
 3. The VTOL aircraft of claim 1, further comprising:landing gear coupled to one or more nacelles or to one or more wings;wherein the landing gear is rotated during the takeoff and landing. 4.The VTOL aircraft of claim 1, wherein the flight controller is furtherconfigured to perform RPM control of the plurality of rotors and toperform adjustment of rotation speed of each rotor individually.
 5. TheVTOL aircraft of claim 1, further comprising a fuselage.
 6. The VTOLaircraft of claim 1, wherein the interface between the mission modularpod and the VTOL aircraft is adjustable relative to a fore-aft axis ofthe VTOL aircraft.
 7. The VTOL aircraft of claim 1, wherein the missionmodular pod is removably coupled to the VTOL aircraft at a base of apylon located at a bottom surface of the VTOL aircraft.
 8. The VTOLaircraft of claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of nacelle pylons,the nacelle pylons comprising one or more of the plurality of nacellesand wherein the nacelle pylons further comprise landing gear; and thenacelle pylons are configured to rotate during takeoff and landing. 9.The VTOL aircraft of claim 8, wherein the landing gear is sufficientlyspaced to enhance ground stability during loading and unloading ofcargo.
 10. The VTOL aircraft of claim 8, wherein the landing gear issufficiently spaced to facilitate maneuvers during the takeoff andlanding.
 11. The VTOL aircraft of claim 1, wherein the mission modularpod further comprises energy storage configured to recharge energystorage within the VTOL aircraft.
 12. The VTOL aircraft of claim 1,wherein each nacelle of the plurality of nacelles is configured torotate independently into the vertical position or the horizontalposition for the takeoff, flight, and landing.
 13. The VTOL aircraft ofclaim 1, wherein the pylon further comprises motors configured toposition the payload relative to the fore-aft axis of the VTOL aircraft.14. The VTOL aircraft of claim 13, wherein the motors are configured toposition the payload to optimize a center of gravity of the VTOLaircraft.
 15. The VTOL aircraft of claim 1, wherein the wings areconfigured to rotate with the nacelles into the vertical position fortakeoff and landing and rotate into the horizontal position for flight.16. The VTOL aircraft of claim 1, wherein both the plurality of rotorsand the plurality of wings are configured to rotate in a tilt-wingconfiguration.
 17. The VTOL aircraft of claim 1, wherein the VTOLaircraft is configured to fit into a standard 20-foot freight container.18. The VTOL aircraft of claim 1, wherein, in a parking position, theVTOL aircraft is configured to be loaded or unloaded from multipleangles.